Fabric compactor



Sept. 5, 1967 c. F. LIBBY FABRIC COMPACTOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug.25, 1964 INVENTOR. CA RL F. Ll BBY mnmMwQm p 1967 c. F. LIBBY 3,339,249

FABRIC COMPACTOR Filed Aug. 25, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m1; F G 3 CARL F.IBBY ATTO R N EYS United States Patent 3,339,249 FABRIC COMPACTOR CarlF. Libby, Stoughton, Mass., assignor to John D. Riordan, Hopkinton,Mass., and Gertrude'C. Libby, Stoughton, Mass, trustees of the Libbyfamily trusts Filed Aug. 25, 1964, Ser. No. 391,884 4 Claims. (Cl.26-18.6)

This invention relates to apparatus for longitudinally shrinking orcompacting textile fabrics without the formation of wrinkles. While themechanism hereinafter described and illustrated on the drawings isdesigned to operate on relatively narrow fabrics, similar apparatus willoperate similarly on wider fabrics. Briefly, the fabric to be compactedis passed between lengths of two endless rubber belts which are firmlypressed together throughout the mutually engaging portions, theseportions being made to contract longitudinally, thus shortening thefabric pinched between them. For a more complete understanding of theinvention, reference may be had to the following description thereof,and to the drawings, of which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of apparatus embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view on a larger scale of rolls, belts andgear wheels shown in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic elevational view, on a larger scale, of therolls and belts shown in FIGURE 2.

Mechanism for compacting fabrics can conveniently be mounted on a frameand may include an electric motor and driving connections (not shown)for rotating a shaft 12 on which two gear wheels 14, 16 are mounted. Thegear wheel 14 is the larger of the two and meshes with an idle pinion 18which in turn meshes with one of two gear wheels 20, 22 of equal sizewhich mesh with each other so that they rotate at equal speeds inopposite directions.

The smaller gear wheel 16 meshes with an idle pinion 24 through which itdrives two meshed gear wheels 26, 28 of equal size in oppositedirections. The gear wheels 26, 28 are of the same size as the gearwheels 20, 22 so that they turn at a slower speed since the gear wheel16 is smaller than the gear wheel 14. The gear wheels 20, 22 are mountedrespectively on shafts 30, 32 on which also are mounted rolls 34, 36. Inlike manner the gear wheels 26, 28 are mounted respectively on shafts,38, 40 on which also are mounted rolls 42, 44. As indicated in FIGURE3, two endless belts 50, 52 pass through the nip of the rolls 34, 36 andthrough the nip of the rolls 42, 44, and are driven by the rolls. Thebelt are of rubber or an equivalent stretchable, resilient material andare of substantial thickness, e.g., inch or more. As indicated in FIGURE2, the rolls 34, 42 are rotated in a clock-Wise direction, the rolls 36,44 being rotated in the opposite direction. Since the rolls 34, 36 aredriven at a slightly higher peripheral speed than the rolls 42, 44, theouter reaches of the belts 50, 52 are under tension and are stretchedfrom the time they leave the slower driven rolls 42, 44 until they reachthe faster driven rolls 34, 36. Consequently, the portions of the beltstraveling from the faster rolls to the slower rolls contract as soon asthey pass through the nip of the faster rolls. In making and assemblingthe supporting structure for the rolls 34, 36, the bearings for theshafts carrying these rolls are so spaced in relation to the diametersof the rolls that the spacing between the peripheries of the two rollsis slightly less than the combined thickness of the two belts 50, 52which pass between them. These belts are thus squeezed or pinched asthey pass between the rolls. Accordingly, the fabric to be compacted istightly squeezed as it enters between the belts in the nip of the rolls34, 36. Between the faster rolls and the slower rolls a number of idlerolls are mounted. These rolls form a 3,339,249 Patented Sept. 5, 1967closely spaced series with the driven rolls to keep the belts 50, 52firmly pressed together at all points as they pursue a sinuous coursefrom the nip of the rolls 34, 36 past a plurality of the idle rolls. Thefabric between these joined portions of the belts is thus continuouslypressed between them. As these portions of the belts contractlongitudinally after passing through the nip of of the faster rolls, thefabric between them is similarly contracted, the continued pressure onthe faces of the fabric preventing wrinkling of the fabric. Six idlerolls 54, 56, 58, 60, 62, 64 are shown on the drawings by way ofillustration, but a greater or lesser number of such rolls may beemployed according to the particular fabric to be treated and the degreeof shrinkage desired. In the machine illustrated on the drawings, theset of driven and idle rolls is arranged with the faster driven rollsuppermost and the slower rolls lowermost with the idle rolls in between.For convenience of description, the driven rolls may hereinafter bereferred to as the upper or lower rolls, but it is evident that the rollassembly could readily be mounted at any angle so that the fabrictraveling between the belts from the faster rolls to the slower rollswould move in a corresponding direction, e.g., horizontally or upwardly.

The idle rolls are in staggered array as shown. The driven roll 36 is alittle higher than its companion roll 34 so that the uppermost idle roll54 can be placed nearer to the nip of the upper driven rolls. In likemanner the lower driven roll 44 is a little higher than the roll 42 sothat the lowermost idle roll 64 can be nearer to the nip of these drivenrolls. By this arrangement, the belts 50, 52 are continuously flexedabout one roll or another from the time they enter the nip of the upperdriven rolls until they leave the nip of the lower rolls. In this way asubstantially constant interfacial pressure is maintained between thejoined portions of the belts which have between them the fabric to becompacted. These idle rolls serve to spread the shrinking process tosome extent. It is observed that about of the compacting occurs betweenthe nip of the upper driven rolls and the idle roll 54, the remaining15% being distributed evenly between the remaining idle rolls. Hence thenumber of idle rolls required will depend on the degree of compactiondesired and the type of fabric operated on. If enough idle rolls areemployed to keep the fabric continuously pressed during the shrinkingstage, additional rolls are unnecessary and there is no need to pressthe slower rolls 42, 44 together.

When the belts 50, 52 are stretched as they ascend from the lower rollsto the upper rolls, they decrease in width and thickness, the originalwidth and thickness being restored when the belts contract in descendingfrom the upper rolls to the lower rolls. Since the fabric to be treatedis between this portion of the belts, the fabric also is widened andthickened, but in the case of a relatively narrow web, such widening isnegligible.

The idle rolls may be mounted for individual lateral adjustment so thatany of them can be retracted to an inoperative position or can beadjusted to increase or decrease the pressure on the belts 50, 52. Forthis purpose each idle roll may be mounted on a slide 66 horizontallymovable in a groove in a supporting plate 68 which is mounted on or is apart of a fixed panel 70 (FIGURE 1). Each slide 66 is adjustably securedby a bolt 72 (conventionally indicated in FIGURE 3) which extendsthrough a slot 74 into the plate 68. The idle rolls can thus be readilyadjusted for optimum operation on difierent types of fabric.

The progress of the compacting operation can be more closely regulatedby employing driven intermediate rolls in place of the idle rolls. Theseintermediate rolls would be driven at progressively slower peripheralspeeds.

v The differential speeds of the upper and lower driven rolls can bechanged by replacing the gear wheels 14, 16

with another pair of wheels having a different ratio of diameters. Agreater differential can be employed for loosely woven fabrics than formore tightly-woven fabrics.

If a relatively high degree of shrinkage is desired, the fabric can berun through the apparatus two or three times. The major shrinking insuch case is done by the first push, the subsequent pushes havingdiminishing effect.

In order to obtain a better set for the treated fabric, it may besteamed just prior to its introduction into the compactor. For thispurpose a suitable steam box 80 may be mounted on the frame and suppliedwith steam through a pipe 82. The fabric F to be treated is fed to thesteam box by driven feed rolls 84 and thence to the compactor. The steamsoftens the fibrous filaments of the fabric and tends to reducetemporarily any natural springiness which may be inherent in the yarn inthe fabric.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for compacting a textile fabric, which comprises twoendless belts of stretchable, resilient material having a portion ofeach pressed together in mutual face-to-face contact from a point ofjuncture to a point of separation, means for supporting and driving saidbelts at equal speeds whereby to receive fabric at the point of junctureand to discharge said fabric at the point of separation, said supportingand driving means being adapted to maintain the portions of said beltsapproaching the point of juncture in a longitudinally stretchedcondition as compared with the mutually joined portions and to press thebelts strongly together at said point of juncture, and means formaintaining a continuous interfacial pressure on said belts from saidpoint of juncture to a substantial distance therefrom.

2. Apparatus as described in claim 1, said supporting and driving meansincluding a pair of rolls about which respectively said belts pass andare pressed together at said point of juncture.

3. Apparatus as described in claim 1, said last named means comprisingmeans for causing said mutually pressed portions of the belts to followa continuously sinuous path from said point of juncture.

4. Apparatus for compacting a textile fabric, which comprises a pair ofupper rolls, a pair of lower rolls spaced from said upper rolls, aplurality of intermediate rolls between the upper and lower rolls, twoendless elastic belts one of which passes around one of the upper andone of the lower rolls, the other belt passing around the other upperand the other lower rolls, means driving the upper rolls at a higherperipheral speed than the lower rolls and in a direction to cause thebelts'between the rolls to move from the faster rolls to the slowerrolls, means supporting the faster rolls spaced by a distance less thanthe normal combined thickness of the two belts between them, and meanssupporting said intermediate rolls in staggered array with the two beltstraveling in face-to-face contact in a continuously sinuous path fromthe nip of the faster rolls to the point of engagement with thelowermost intermediate roll, whereby continuous interfacial pressurebetween the belts is maintained from the nip of the faster rolls to thepoint of engagement with the lowermost intermediate roll.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES 1,063,569,August 1959, German printed application, 2618.6.

ROBERT R. MACKEY, Primary Examiner.

1. APPARATUS FOR COMPACTING A TEXTILE FABRIC, WHICH COMPRISES TWOENDLESS BELTS OF STRETCHABLE, RESILIENT MATERIAL HAVING A PORTION OFEACH PRESSED TOGETHER IN MUTUAL FACE-TO-FACE CONTACT FROM A POINT OFJUNCTURE TO A POINT OF SEPARATION, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING AND DRIVING SAIDBELTS AT EQUAL SPEEDS WHEREBY TO RECEIVE FABRIC AT THE POINT OF JUNCTUREAND TO DISCHARGE SAID FABRIC AT THE POINT OF SEPARATION, SAID SUPPORTINGAND DRIVING MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO MAINTAIN THE PORTIONS OF SAID BELTSAPPROACHING THE POINT OF JUNCTURE IN A LONGITUDINALLY STRETCHEDCONDITION AS COMPARED WITH THE MUTUALLY JOINED PORTIONS AND TO PRESS THEBELTS STRONGLY TOGETHER AT SAID POINT OF JUNCTURE, AND MEANS FORMAINTAINING A CONTINUOUS INTERFACIAL PRESSURE ON SAID BELTS FROM SAIDPOINT OF JUNCTURE TO A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE THEREFROM.